Memories of Yesterday
by Azzurri Raine
Summary: After losing the people she loved, Sakura will discover that there are still some things worth living for.
1. Mission Completed

Title: Memories of Yesterday

Rating: T

Summary: After the loss of her loved ones, Sakura will discover if there are other things worth living for—if there are people worth living for.

Disclaimer: Sad, but true—I don't own Naruto.

Author's Note: This is a follow-up from **Rain** and initially I thought it wasn't necessary to read it, but for a better understanding of this story, it'll be better if you read **Rain**. As for **Memories of Yesterday**, I wasn't going to post this so soon, but I'm already finished with this story (though the chapters are still unedited) so I'm going to be posting a new chapter every week.

* * *

**Chapter One: Mission Completed**

"Team Alpha in position," Hyuuga Neji murmured into his earpiece, his back pressed tightly against the trunk of the tree.

There was a short static and then, "_Team Beta in position_," the other shinobi confirmed in his customary lazy drawl.

Neji waited for a second, but when the silence continued, he frowned and murmured, "Team Gamma, report?"

No answer and the groove between his dark brows deepened. "Team Gamma, report now," he demanded with a touch of concern.

Just as he started to formulate a plan to leave his position, his earpiece crackled. "_Apologies_," came the cool, feminine voice. "_Team Gamma, reaching position. But something's wrong_."

Neji narrowed his eyes as he gestured for the two Jounin behind him to move back. "What is it?" he asked.

"_Footprints, fresh ones."_

"_That's not good_," Nara Shikamaru murmured.

"Yeah," Neji agreed. They were supposed to be dealing with highly-skilled criminals. For them to leave footprints meant that it was—

"_Gamma, get out of there_," Shikamaru said urgently. "_It's a fucking trap. Get out of there now!_"

Neji and his team were already rushing through the trees as the Hyuuga captain barked instructions to the other teams. "Team Gamma, state your position. Quickly."

"_We're—oh, shit, it's them_."

"Gamma!" Neji hissed, but the crackle in his ear told him that the connection had been cut off. He let out a foul curse as his foot hit a branch harder than he normally would. They had miscalculated, he thought furiously and because of that, they had the risk of paying the price.

The clang of metal against metal drifted to his ears and Neji picked up his speed.

* * *

Sakura barely had time to watch her opponent crumple to a heap at her feet before she whirled around and lifted her sword above her head to defend herself. Metal hit metal and the force of her new opponent's blow was hard enough to jar her body, but she held fast to her weapon. Through the slits of her mask, she glared at the man standing in front of her. He was over six feet tall and was roughly the size of a bear. _Smells like one too_, she thought grimly as she raised her sword to protect herself. 

"You're a small one aren't you?" her opponent mocked as he swung his weapon toward her. "What are you, five-four?"

She gritted her teeth. Just her luck. Her side was bleeding and her fucking enemy wanted to trade _stats_? Where the hell was their backup? She swung her leg and grinned behind her mask where her foot connected with the side of his ugly face.

He grunted and staggered back, but his legs held him up. With a roar he charged toward her, his face red with anger. She dodged his fists efficiently, but due to her previous wounds and her draining chakra level, her senses were slower and thus she didn't jump fast enough to avoid the swipe of the kunai in the bear's other hand. The sharp tip connected with her forehead and a surprised cry escaped her throat as her mask broke in two. Pain sliced through her when the kunai managed to graze the bridge of her nose.

She wiped away the blood, breathing hard, glaring at her attacker. He stared at her, an unholy gleam in his pale eyes. "Well, well," he said. "With a face like that I might not kill you. How'd you like to be my pleasure slave, sweetheart?"

"In your dreams, asshole," she gritted out as she smashed her chakra-laden fist into his abdomen. She barely flinched as his blood and saliva spattered onto her, knowing that this wasn't the time to be disgusted.

The blow sent him reeling against a tree and he panted as he bent over double, vomiting more blood. "You bitch," he wheezed. "Now you're going to get it."

"Oh? And who's going to do that? You?"

He grinned maniacally. "Not me," he declared and his gaze drifted to over her shoulder.

She turned around and scarcely managed to avoid the blade that was swung at her. She succeeded in catching a glimpse of her new opponent, a man even bigger than her previous one—_Kami, just what did they feed these rebels anyway?_—when he once again thrust his sword at her. She jumped back but she hadn't seen the flail her attacker held in his other hand and the spiked steel ball was heading right at her.

For a second, time seemed to move at a crawling pace. She was tired, every part of her body screaming for her to stop. She knew without having to look that her team was in a state much like hers. Their back-up had yet to arrive and she was just so _tired_. She looked at the lethal ball closing in on her. The force of the blow would be enough to shatter her skull. The pain would be instantaneous and she would finally _rest_. She would be with _them_.

A sudden choking sound broke through her reverie and she stared in shock as the edge of a katana winked at her from her opponent's throat. His eyes turned white and hers automatically closed as blood sprayed out of his mouth and wound. With one last horrifying sound, he fell back, the flail swinging helplessly at his side.

"Are you okay?"

Still slightly stunned, she looked up and saw the ANBU nin standing in front of her, blood and flesh dripping from the katana he held in his hand. Dimly, she registered that the sounds of the fight were dying down; their back-up had arrived.

"Are you okay?" her savior repeated harshly.

She nodded, her body growing numb. He seemed satisfied by the wordless answer and turned around to help the others. Though he was wearing his mask, Sakura knew who he was. There was no mistaking that fluidity of movement, that utter calmness of shoving his katana through a man's throat, that voice.

And for a moment, Sakura hated Hyuuga Neji for his interference.

* * *

Neji respected Morino Ibiki. The scarred man understood his duties and he made no apologies for how he carried them out. He was merciless, yes, but he was also effective. He didn't hesitate to do what he thought necessary and though he usually went by the book, he acknowledged that there were times when one had to bend the rules to achieve success. 

Currently, the older man stood across the table from him, a map sprawled between them. Shikamaru stood on the other side, studying the map closely.

"I spoke to the rebel you brought in alive from the fight this morning," Ibiki said and both Neji and Shikamaru understood what he meant by "spoke." "He told me they were the remaining survivors from the explosion a month ago."

Shikamaru ran his fingers over the map and marked a specific area. "If that's true than they were the last of the rebel group," he murmured. "The man Neji killed was Abarai Jun—Abarai Hiro's only son. With the two of them dead, there's no one left to lead another rebellion. Just to make sure, Ibiki, you should form a team and have them search the warehouse here." The tactician specialist pointed at a spot near the borderline. "According to the information we received, this is where their headquarters are. Have the team be prepared for a fight—the Abarais might be dead, but who knows if there are any other bastards lurking around."

"Agreed." There was a faint hint of a smile on Ibiki's disfigured face. "You two know what this means, don't you?"

Shikamaru grinned lazily. "Yeah."

A corner of Neji's lips tilted upwards. "We get to go home."

* * *

The atmosphere surrounding the camp area that night was decidedly more cheerful than usual. After six months of suppressing the rebels, victory had finally arrived. While some had to stay back and take care of the final details, most were able to go home, back to their friends and families, back to Konoha. 

When Neji walked into the small building that was part relaxation quarters, part bar that evening, a rousing cheer shook the rafters. He, along with several others, had played an important role in squelching the rebel groups and had done Fire Country proud. Neji acknowledged the cheer and looked around the room, spotting the familiar spiky ponytail at the end of the bar.

He approached Shikamaru, not surprised to find the younger man almost dozing over his half-drank glass of beer. "Shikamaru," he greeted.

"Ah, Neji," Shikamaru said with a smile. "Didn't know you'd come in. Of course, the applause and the whistles should've given you away."

"Like you didn't get the same reaction."

"I snuck through the back door and by that time, the place was already packed. I didn't want anyone to make a fuss. It's so—"

"Troublesome?" Neji finished for him wryly.

Shikamaru chuckled. "Actually, I was going to say 'embarrassing,' but we can use your word, too."

Neji snorted and turned to order his drink. He glanced at the laughing crowd. "Everyone's really happy tonight."

"Can't really blame them, can you?" Shikamaru said. "Half a year in this hellhole, away from everything they know and love. Starting tomorrow, they won't have to worry about their drink being contaminated or their food being rationed. I'm looking forward to going home myself. It'll be great to go through a day without rain."

"Mmm," Neji agreed. "Speaking of which, did you get any news from Konoha?"

"Ino wrote to me. They're almost finished with the reconstruction of the Hokage's tower and the general mood is significantly lighter. The people are healing—they're starting to laugh again and the Academy is reopening next week. Iruka is going to be very busy."

"Lee, too," Neji speculated, thinking of his friend. After the War ended, he had followed in Gai's footsteps—big surprise there—and decided to become an instructor. The Hyuuga prodigy envisioned another group of spandex-wearing, bowl-headed youths and almost sighed. _Kami help us all_.

"Ino also said that the Kazekage has been in and out of Konoha," Shikamaru continued. "In fact a lot of the other countries' officials have shown up. She thinks it has to do with something big."

"A peace treaty?" Neji asked.

"Let's hope so." Shikamaru's voice was decidedly weary as he spoke. "For the sake of everyone, let's hope it's a peace treaty."

Neji quietly agreed and once again his pale gaze roamed over the crowd in the barroom. He was surprised when he caught a glimpse of pink from the corner of the room. He didn't think she would be here.

Sakura was sitting with her medical team around a small table but while her companions engaged in a lively conversation with each other, their faces lit with pleasure, she sat with her back to the wall, participating only when she had to. There was only the smallest of a smile on her face and he deduced that she didn't really want to be here.

He frowned. For the past six months, he'd unwillingly found himself constantly observing her. Initially, he'd been weary of her coming along with them on this mission, believing it to be too soon for her; she should stay in Konohagakure and recover there instead of jumping head-on in a new battle so quickly after the War ended. He'd voiced his opinion to the Hokage, but the older woman had been adamant in allowing her former apprentice to aid in overpowering the rebels near the country's borders and Neji had grudgingly accepted her decision.

On duty performance, Neji had no complaints about her. She was a skilled shinobi and an excellent medic. It was thanks to her abilities that others at the camp had recovered from injuries that would have left them dead in the hands of another, lesser-trained medic. She'd also managed to extract the poison from their drinking water, though it had almost depleted her chakra level. Their mission here in the eastern borders had required well-trained medics and when it came to that, Haruno Sakura was one of the best. She was a hard worker and he knew that this camp was fortunate to have her.

But at the same time, she held herself back from the rest of the camp members. She rarely spoke and while she wasn't cold, she didn't appear to make an effort to blend in with the rest. Most of the times, she kept to herself, preferring to take her meals in the privacy of her sleeping quarters.

Neji understood the need to be alone, but he also understood that in order for plans to be successful, teamwork was vital. In a mission this critical, the ability to communicate well between each other was important and thus he'd made attempts to put the other shinobi, especially those whose status were lower than his, at ease. While he wasn't able to be like Lee, laughing and joking along with them, he held on to his patience considerably and tried not to reprimand anyone too harshly for their mistakes.

He'd tried approaching Sakura, but the results had been awkward pauses and stilted words due to the fact that they had never been more than mere co-workers. She hadn't been very responsive and he had never been the friendly, outgoing type and because of this, he'd given up, unwilling to further put his pride on the line.

Strangely, he thought, it had been the shinobi currently sitting beside him that had managed to break a little of the wall she had erected between her and the rest of the world. Maybe it was because of their shared past as classmates, but Shikamaru was the only one in the encampment that Sakura didn't push away. The two were often found together during what little free time they had, absorbed in a game of shougi. Whether or not they spoke of her troubles, Neji didn't know and Shikamaru never offered any information.

The latter seemed to sense Neji's occupation and he turned his head slightly to follow the Hyuuga's gaze. A small sound escaped his throat and he said, "She was forced to be here. I'm sure any moment now she'll find a reason to escape."

True enough; minutes later the two men watched as the pink-haired medic stood and murmured her excuses to her clearly resigned medical team. They watched as she left the makeshift bar, walking quickly and dodging any attempts to stop her.

Neji frowned and glanced at Shikamaru. "Aren't you going after her?"

The brilliant tactician shrugged and turned back to his half-emptied drink. "Let her be," he declared quietly. "Let her fight her demons alone tonight."

It was an odd statement, but Neji believed he understood. He turned his attention to his own drink, tuning out the growing laughter around him. Tomorrow, most of them would begin the journey home, eager to bask in the walls of the village they loved and would die protecting.

He dimly wondered if Sakura felt the same.

**To be continued . . .**

Tell me what you think. Please and thank you.


	2. Coming Home

As promised, a chapter each week. It's a bit short, but only because the next chapter will be longer. Anyhow, hope you enjoy this week's update and please remember to tell me what you think. Oh, and for those of you who are following the **Misty-Gray and Pink** series on my LJ (yes, utterly shameless self-advertisement going on here), be on the look-out for the next addition coming up sometime this weekend and tell me what you think about that, too.

And now, on with the show . . .

* * *

**Chapter Two: Coming Home  
**

The branch barely shook under the impact of Sakura's weight as she followed the rest of her unit, the breeze blowing through her hair as she jumped from tree to tree. They had been traveling for nearly five days and were now less than an hour away from Konoha. Her heart grew heavier and heavier with each passing minute and she was unable to shake off the oppressing feeling.

Several feet away from her, she noticed Shikamaru slowing down to lift his nose to the air and take a deep breath, a contemplative expression on his face.

"Is something wrong, Shikamaru-san?" one of the other shinobi asked, clearly perplexed with his senior's behavior.

The tactician shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. I just smell Konoha."

The younger shinobi laughed. "How can you smell Konoha?"

"It's autumn," Shikamaru answered simply. "Autumn always smells differently in Konoha."

Sakura's heart clenched and she briefly closed her eyes.

_The smile on his handsome face was as bright as his clothes; he was grinning so hard, his eyes were hidden. She thought it was adorable—_he_ was adorable. She watched, amused, as he lifted his face and sniffed the air, a satisfied laugh escaping his throat._

"_What are you so happy about?" she demanded as she leapt on the tree next to his._

"_Can't you smell that, Sakura-chan?" he asked happily. He practically flew through the forest, his spiky, unruly blonde hair wind-ruffled and looking so soft, her fingers itched to run through it.  
_

"_Yes, but I didn't want to hurt your feelings by pointing it out," she teased._

_He pouted, but he didn't lose the bright glint in his warm blue eyes. "That's autumn. Autumn's here, Sakura!"_

"_What's so special about autumn?"_

"_What's _not_ special about autumn? We always get a week's break during autumn. Mmm, I'm thinking of all the things I can do—wake up late, walking around the apartment in just my underwear, hanging out at Ichiraku's—"_

"_Like you don't do that on normal days," Sakura interrupted wryly._

"_Yeah, but it's different in autumn!" he insisted. "The ramen's even better because of the brisk weather. And then there are the apples—they taste the best when you eat them in autumn. Apple sauce, apple pie, apple cider, apple tart—"_

"_Hai, hai, hai, I get it," Sakura declared with fond exasperation. If there was one other thing he was obsessed about aside from ramen, it was apples. She sighed, thinking that at least this item belonged to a healthy food group, though Kami knew he was as weirdly fascinated with the fruit as he was with ramen. _

"_Just imagine, Sakura," he continued. "Sitting in front of the fire, roasting apples—"_

"Roasting_ apples?"_

"—_after a ramen-filled dinner," he finished, seemingly unaware that she had spoken. He sighed in contentment, his expression blissful. He glanced at her and grinned. "Know what's going to make it even more perfect?"_

"_Another bowl of ramen to wash down the apples?" she asked wryly._

"_That sounds good, but I was thinking of something else." His blue eyes gleamed wickedly. "The scene would be absolutely perfect with my favorite medic cuddled in my arms."_

_She turned startled green eyes to him and caught the expression on his face as he stared back at her, the seriousness in them almost unnerving. Her heart started to pound and a thrill ran through her body. As his words settled in her mind, a deep blush appeared on her cheeks and she ducked, allowing her loosened hair to cover her heated face._

_When she finally looked up again, there was a slight tilt to the corner of her lips. "Then we better get home quickly."_

_The joyous laughter than ran through the woods was much louder this time. _

"Sakura, are you okay?"

She opened her eyes, surprised to find Shikamaru's face close to hers. He had jumped until he was next to her, his questioning gaze directed on hers. He repeated the question, concern lacing his words.

"I'm fine," she answered briskly, unaware of the pair of pale gray eyes watching her from a few paces away.

* * *

"Neji, Neji, over here!" 

Neji followed the sound of the female voice and smiled when he saw an excitedly-waving Tenten standing next to Lee, who wore a broad grin on his face. He broke away from his unit and walked over to them. They met him halfway and he let out a surprised "oof" as Tenten jumped up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

He squeezed her for a moment before gently pulling away, purposely ignoring the disappointment that flashed through her face. He turned to Lee and said wryly, "No hugs, Lee."

The other jounin laughed. "No hugs, Neji," he agreed. He held out his hand and grinned, almost blinding Neji with his bright teeth. "Good to have you home, Neji."

Neji clasped his friend's hand, his eyes pleasant. "It's good to be home," he said. He looked around briefly before returning his attention to his friend. "The village looks better than when I left. Has there been any problem?"

"None that we can't handle," Lee answered. "The Hokage's Tower is just about done and there's going to be celebration soon after." Black eyes gazed at misty gray ones questioningly. "How was the mission? We didn't get much information about it."

"Yeah," Tenten piped up. "When you didn't reply to my letters for so long, I got worried."

"I'm sorry," Neji apologized. "I've been very busy."

"As expected," Lee said.

"The mission was successful with few casualties on our side. We've managed to secure the eastern borders and Morino Ibiki's stayed back to make sure everything runs smoothly." Neji glanced at Tenten. "How did it go at the western borders?"

"Better than I thought it would. Our mission finished faster than planned. Like Ibiki-san, Asuma-san stayed back but he's scheduled to return this week."

"That's good to hear. And you, Lee? Have you met your new students?"

"Not yet. Iruka-san's still trying to choose the groups, but I'm sure whoever he picks for me will be filled with youthful fires! Yosh!"

_Something's never changed_, Neji thought wryly. There had been a time when he'd found Lee's exuberant proclamations about the "fires of youths"—and Gai's, for that matter—annoying and embarrassing, but now he was simply amused, though he did a good job of covering it.

Tenten, on the other hand, didn't even pretend to cover her laughter as she turned to look at Neji, her eyes sparkling. "There's going to a party tonight to welcome back all the shinobi from the eastern borders. It'll be rude if you don't show up, Neji."

"Then I won't be rude," he said faintly.

She clapped her hands together and grinned happily. "Great. Now how about lunch? We can do some more catching up."

Discomfort flitted through his body but Neji didn't allow it to show. His lips curved apologetically as he said, "I can't, Ten. I have to hand in my report to the Hokage and then I should go home and see my uncle. It'd be disrespectful of me to do otherwise."

The young woman frowned. "I suppose," she sighed. A second later, she brightened and looked at Neji with hopeful eyes. "But we'll see you tonight, right?"

"If nothing gets in the way, then yes."

"Wonderful." She impulsively grabbed one of Neji's hands and squeezed. "Oh, Neji, I'm so glad you're home. It's been wretched, worrying about your safety all these months."

"There was nothing to worry about."

"Ah, there's that Hyuuga pride talking." Tenten chuckled and before Neji could react, brushed her lips against his cheek. "Welcome home, Neji."

He blinked and then she was gone. He turned to look at Lee; the other man had lost his bright smile and was staring back at Neji with serious black eyes.

"You should tell her," Lee said softly.

Neji considered pretending ignorance, but their years of friendship, the bond they had forged as teammates and his own makeup wouldn't allow that. He let out a heavy sigh and said, "I don't want to hurt her."

"It's better than letting her think she has a chance." Lee paused and searched his friend's face. "_Does_ she have a chance, Neji?"

Neji thought about it and for a brief second, a pair of solemn green eyes flashed through his mind. He shook his head and focused his attention on Lee. The other jounin stared back at him, his face void of any judgment. Neji knew without a doubt that whatever his decision, Lee would understand. "

No," he answered finally. "There's no chance." And it was the truth; Tenten was his teammate, a skilled kunoichi and a good friend. He admired her, respected her, but he didn't harbor the same feelings she harbored for him. He never had and he knew he never would.

Lee's eyes grew sad as he thought of the pain his female friend would go through, but he knew better than anyone that feelings such as love could never be forced.

He clamped a hand over Neji's shoulder and said, "It's your choice, my friend. You want to know what the funny thing is?"

"What?"

"I never could see you and her together, too." A corner of Lee's mouth lifted. "She never struck me as your type. She's too . . . happy."

Neji's brows rose. "Meaning I'm only attracted to the miserable ones?" he asked wryly.

Lee laughed. "You said it, my friend, not I."

Neji snorted and gave the other jounin a friendly shove even as a part of him silently wondered if Lee's opinions were correct.

* * *

Sakura looked around as her unit broke into smaller groups. Sounds of laughter and cheers drifted over to her as her unit members were greeted by their friends and families, who had been waiting for them by the entrance of the village. Her green eyes fell briefly on Shikamaru, who was currently being crushed by both Ino and Chouji. Sakura smiled at the sight—Shikamaru was trying to push away the brightly-colored clips in Ino's hair from his eyes—before she quietly disappeared into the shadows. 

Minutes later, she was standing in front of her house, the familiar blue door slightly chipped. She made a mental note to re-paint it tomorrow morning before she used her key and slipped inside.

She found her mother standing in the kitchen in front of the sink, washing plates. A pot was bubbling on the stove and Sakura recognized the smell of her mother's famous beef stew, mingling with the scents of the homemade bread baking in the oven.

She smiled and stepped further inside. "Mama," she called out softly, not wanting to startle her mother.

Mrs. Haruno was nonetheless surprised; the plate slipped from her soapy fingers, but she deftly caught it before it fell. Setting it aside, she turned around, a joyful smile on her face. "Sakura!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Sakura!"

Sakura laughed as she embraced her mother; neither woman cared that Sakura was dusty and filthy from her journey. Mrs. Haruno hugged her so daughter so tightly she almost cracked a couple of ribs.

Both were smiling when they pulled away. Mrs. Haruno brushed back the bangs from her daughter's pretty face, her own green eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I was so worried," the older woman said. "You were supposed to be back by yesterday and when you didn't . . ."

"There was a landslide and the team had to find another detour," Sakura informed.

"I wasn't sure when you were going to arrive today," her mother murmured, her eyes still misty. "I wanted to prepare a meal for you—Kami-sama knows what you've been eating over _there_. That's why I wasn't at the gates when you arrived. Oh, Sakura, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Mama," Sakura reassured. "We only managed to send word about an hour ago anyway."

"Oh, I'm so glad you're home!" Mrs. Haruno declared happily. Her hands trembled as she cupped her daughter's face. "You haven't written or sent word back to me for so long and if it weren't for the Hokage's reassurance, I would've . . ."

Sakura felt a sharp pang of guilt. With her father having passed away several years ago from a heart attack, her mother was more often than not virtually by herself, considering Sakura's occupation. She knew her mother constantly worried about her and since the War, that worry had increased tenfold. She understood her mother's distress; Mrs. Haruno wasn't a shinobi and thus shared the general opinion that shinobi were continuously facing great danger. Sakura flinched as she imagined her mother living alone in this house, fretting over a daughter who was so selfish she couldn't even take the time to write a short letter.

"I'm sorry, Mama," she apologized honestly. "I'm so sorry for making you worry. I really didn't mean to do that. It's just that I've been so busy and the mission . . ."

"Na, it doesn't matter anymore," Mrs. Haruno interrupted gently. She brushed her fingers through her daughter's pink locks and grinned brightly. "All that matters is that you're home, safe and sound." She tilted her head to toward the stove. "I made stew. Why don't we sit down and eat? You must be hungry."

Sakura smiled. "I haven't been home for five minutes and already you're trying to fatten me up," she teased.

"Well, I have to do _something_. Look at you—you're all skin and bones. Honestly, dear, what _have_ you been eating?"

"Believe me, Mama, you don't want to know." Sakura glanced down at herself and grimaced. "I'm filthy. I think I'm going to take a quick shower first, all right?"

"Of course, dear. The bread is still baking so take your time."

Sakura was smiling as she went up to her bedroom, breathing in the familiar vanilla scent of the cleaning detergent her mother liked to use. Her bare toes curled into the carpet beneath her and she had to resist the urge to bounce on her clean bed. After months of sleeping in the dirt, with the coldness of the ground seeping through her bedroll and the smell of mud in her hair, her bedroom seemed like heaven. Her body practically tingled with anticipation of a hot shower; while she was no stranger to cold creek water, she was also a comfort creature and right now, hot water was a luxury she would be stupid to say 'no' to.

She placed her weapons on her bureau and unbuckled her belt. Just as she was about to take off her tank top, she noticed several boxes stacked neatly at one corner of the room, partly hidden by her closet. She frowned and walked over to them. "Mama?" she called out. "What are these boxes?"

Downstairs, Mrs. Haruno's fingers tensed around the glass she'd been about to place on the table. Her face grew pale and she silently reproached herself for her carelessness.

"Mama?" Sakura's voice cracked as she partly opened the top box.

Mrs. Haruno calmly set the glass down and walked to stand at the bottom of the stairs. Her fingers curved around the post as if to steady herself as she quietly answered her daughter's question.

"Those boxes came two weeks ago, Sakura. They're . . . they're belongings."

"Whose? Whose belongings?" the pink-haired young woman demanded even as she caught sight of a familiar orange jacket.

Mrs. Haruno chewed on her bottom lip. She wished she could spare her daughter the pain, but she knew she couldn't. "Kakashi-san's . . . and Naruto-kun's." The older woman wrung her hands fretfully. "Those are the things from their apartments. Hokage-sama thought you should have them. When the boxes came, I just told the men to put them in your room because I couldn't find any space. I was going to move them out, but I forgot. Oh, dear, I'm so sorry . . ."

When there was no reply, Mrs. Haruno started to climb the stairs. "Sakura, dear, are you . . .?"

In her room, Sakura swallowed past the lump in her throat and took a deep, shuddering breath, releasing it slowly through her nose. "I'm—I'm fine, Mama. D-don't come up, okay?"

"The boxes . . ."

"Just—just leave them here. It's fine—_I'm_ fine." The pink-haired girl covered her face with shaking hands, her breathing growing slightly erratic. Spots danced in front of her eyes and for a second, she felt as if the ground was giving away underneath her feet. But the moment passed and she was back in her room, her body trembling as she stood in front of boxes containing her friends'—_her __family's_—possessions.

"Sakura?"

"It's okay, Mama. Don't come up. _Please_." Sakura's hands fisted as she prayed her mother would understand. She just couldn't take the sympathy that she knew was on her mother's face—not now, not when she'd made so much progress.

There was a long pause before her mother finally said, "Okay, Sakura, okay."

"Thank you." Sakura dropped her hands from her face and she pushed back the bangs from her face. "I'm going to take a shower now and then I'll come down and eat. We'll talk, okay, Mama? You can catch me up on all the local gossip." _And we'll just forget this happened because I don't think I can handle a breakdown right now. _

"Of course, dear."

Mrs. Haruno waited for the soft thud of the bathroom door before slowly making her way back down to the kitchen. Her heart wrenched for her daughter and not for the first time, she yearned for a way to make the hurt disappear.

* * *

As it was, Sakura never had the chance to eat her mother's beef stew. Just as she stepped out of the bathroom, a blur of blonde and gray all but tackled her to the floor. 

"Forehead-girl, how dare you just disappear like that without at least saying hello? And after all these months I spent worrying for you?"

Sakura was still buttoning her blouse when Ino pushed her down the stairs and past her mother, who smiled and cheerfully waved as her daughter was dragged out of the house.

"It's been a long time since we had a girl-to-girl talk, Sakura. Don't you make that face at me! We're going to sit down at a nice little café and have a nice conversation even if I have to tie you down to the chair and mind control you for it! I haven't seen you for _ages_, Miss ANBU-medic-nin-hotshot."

True to her word, Ino did find a nice little café near her parents' flower shop and the two young woman did have a girl-to-girl talk—or rather, Ino talked and Sakura listened, managing to slip her opinions between the blonde's endless flow of words.

She should have felt irritated; she'd just returned home. She was tired and sleepy and hungry and she should be having a nice quiet meal with her mother. Instead here she was, paying for her food—granted, it was good food—while Ino attempted to break the record for the most words spoken under a minute.

But Sakura wasn't annoyed; it _had_ been a while since she saw Ino and she had missed the bubbling blonde. They had long ago shed the rivalry of their younger days and were now good friends. Although their interests usually diverged from one another, in Ino Sakura had found her most trusted female companion. She had been there during Sakura's darkest hour all those months ago and her support then was something the medic-nin would never forget.

So Sakura pushed aside her exhaustion and sat there, paying rapt attention to her friend's incessant babbling, smiling every now and then even as the images of another time, of a group gathered in a ramen bar, talking and laughing, invaded her thoughts. She tossed aside those images and forced herself to think of the _here and now_ and that just maybe being back in Konoha wasn't so bad after all.

**To be continued . . .**


End file.
